Former SE Polk prep Mattison Plummer wins Drake Relays steeplechase crown
Mattison Plummer kept her cool during a chaotic start to the women's 3,000-meter university/college steeplechase at the Drake Relays on Thursday.
Her patience under duress was rewarded with her first Relays championship as a collegian.
The Illinois State junior and former Southeast Polk prep saw her senior teammate, Claire Fuhlhage, go down along with another runner after the first water jump. Plummer also got spiked in her leg, causing a brief moment of doubt.
"I almost went down," Plummer said. "You kind of panic. I wasn't in a great place the first two laps. The light switch turns on and you have to turn it right off."
Plummer did that brilliantly, navigating between an open space to fifth within 200 meters. By the middle of the fourth lap, Plummer had taken the lead and was ready to pull away. Plummer opened up a big enough gap to allow her to smile after crossing the final barrier. She won in 10 minutes, 12.83 seconds, more than six seconds ahead of Northern Iowa junior and former Waverly-Shell Rock prep Emma Hoins.
"I knew it was something I was capable of doing," said Plummer, who was second in this race a year ago to Drake University record holder Brooke Mullins. "I just needed to do it. Doing it here is so special."
Plummer said the win was tainted with the injury to Fuhlhage, who, like Plummer, ranks in the top 10 in Redbird school history in at least one event. Fuhlhage withdrew after 3 1/2 laps.
"The plan was to race this together," said Plummer, who won two 4x800 Drake Relays titles with Southeast Polk. "I wanted us to do this together. I'm sad."
4x800 college relay
Carter Huyser pushed for four years to win a Drake Relays title at Grand View University. Each time, he said, they were thwarted by powerhouse teams like Loras College.
The fifth-year senior just needed a change of scenery to earn the coveted white flag.
The former Oskaloosa High prep anchored the Kansas Wesleyan 4x800-meter relay to victory in a new NAIA leading time of 7:35:29. Huyser and leadoff runner Ty Davidson were the only two athletes on the relay who had run on the Blue Oval before.
"I tried so many times in high school, tried in college. It never happened," Huyser said of winning a Drake title. "I've had some disappointing races (at Drake), for sure. I couldn't have done it without these guys."
Davidson, Julian Avila and Wyatt Johnson gave Huyser a lead of over a second going to the final two laps. Huyser quickly relinquished the lead, stressing out his teammates and family watching the race.
"I don't like to do anything crazy on that first lap. I did want to be a little bit conservative," Huyser said. "I think I handled that well. I passed the Loras guy with 250 (meters) to go and I think from then on I thought, 'I really can do this.' "
Huyser suffered a bad flashback to NAIA indoor nationals in March, when he lost the lead late in the 1,000-meter final while finishing third. This time, he summoned the strength to hold off the anchor from Cornerstone while finishing a 1:54 anchor leg.
"I was scared. 'Not again, not again,' " Huyser said. It was running through my mind. 'Don't give up, don't get content, don't get satisfied, keep pushing. It's a blessing."
Women's 10,000
Iowa State redshirt senior Dana Feyen surprisingly became the first Cyclone to win this race during Thursday's Distance Carnival. The native of Galesville, Wisconsin, pulled away from Tulsa's Chloe Hershenow over the final eight laps to take the victory in the 25-lap race in 33:51.54. Hershenow was well back in second in 34:16.95.
"I have really been thinking about how thankful I am to be running in the uniform," said Feyen, who greeted teammates and friends in the stadium after her victory. "I'm soaking it all up, enjoying it."
Feyen wasn't enjoying the start of her season, however. The 2022 Big 12 Conference champion in the 5,000 battled an injury early in the season. Feyen was making her season debut and needing a top mark to qualify for NCAA West Prelims next month.
"That was definitely the goal," Feyen said. "It's been a long road to get back on the track."
Iowa State coaches enlisted the help of Cyclone teammates Taylor Briggs and Brenna Cohoon to set the pace. They both took turns leading the way for Feyen before dropping out. Then, it was up to Feyen and Hershenow to settle who would take the white flag.
"Chloe (Hershenow) wanted to run a similar time and we worked together," Feyen said.
Men's university/college 3,000 steeplechase
Wartburg College senior Christopher Collet isn't satisfied with second place anytime. Even if that winner is a professional, Alec Basten.
The Knights All-American did most of the work leading the 7 1/2-lap race Thursday, blocking a strong south wind for several runners. Basten, who finished third at Tuesday's USA 1 Mile Championship in Des Moines, saved his energy and bided his time. He took the lead for good on the sixth lap to win in 8:45.51. Collet held off Purdue's Caleb Williams for second after running 8:48.24.
"Leading for most of the race wasn't quite what I wanted with the depth of the field," Collet said. "I was hoping people would be more excited about running fast. Runner-up wasn't exactly what I was looking for."
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former SE Polk prep Mattison Plummer wins Drake Relays steeplechase crown
